Hononegah asks for longer access deal with hospital

Thursday

In five years, a second high school might not yet have been built in the Hononegah School District.

In five years, a second high school might not yet have been built in the Hononegah School District.

So Wednesday night, School Board members pushed for a longer agreement in a proposal from Beloit Memorial Hospital that would give the district access to the site of its second school for up to 30 years.

It’s part of a proposal for a five-year tax abatement the hospital is seeking from the School District for its NorthPointe facility in Roscoe.

Board President Dave Kur­linkus said the district would need at least a 30-year right-of-access to the site before board members could sign off on it. He also expressed concerns about an inability of the district to renew the contract after the 30 years is up.

Tim McKevett, hospital senior vice president, told the board he was agreeable to the proposed changes and would take the revisions to hospital officials and legal staff.
Under the revised agreement, submitted by Superintendent Randy Gross, the district would receive $1.5 million in services and savings on access costs. The hospital would save more than $1.2 million over five years, he said.

Kurlinkus said the board was “95 percent in agreement” with the proposal before it decided to table the issue so its legal counsel also could review it. It could vote on the agreement as soon as next month.

“We may not even have a high school there for 10 years,” Kurlinkus said after the meeting. “That’s why it was important we get an agreement for 30 years (or longer). We know we’ll have a school there someday. This gives us more flexibility on the time frame we’d be working with.”

As part of the proposal, the hospital would provide an athletic trainer for the high school and allow Hononegah’s swim teams to use NorthPointe’s swimming pool for practices.

NorthPointe Terrace, an assisted-living center, opened in January, and the entire wellness campus will open on 122 acres at Willowbrook and Rockton roads next month.

Staff writer Rob Baxter can be reached at 815-987-1369 or rbaxter@rrstar.com.

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